Astral Dream -Trafalgar Law x oc
by Amaterasura
Summary: Eccentric adventure in comedic style. Takes place during the two year timeskip. Pickleberry, the Adult Industry tycoon's daughter enjoys the lavish life soaked in honey. She sees a damn sexy pirate, a total God of sexiness no one in the Universe could parallel, Trafalgar Law. There is nothing Pickleberry couldn't obtain with her wealth, but Law is not for sale.
1. one

One

"Mr. President, your tailor-made suit is ready." Says Buckthorn, carefully holding said clothes in a luxury garment bag. Buckthorn is Mr. President's personal bodyguard whom he likes to use as errand boy very often; ridiculously tall and erect, sharply dressed in black suit and a pair of black shades, he's enough to intimidate most ordinary population.

"Thank you, please hang them in my closet room," Mr. President replied without turning away from the panoramic view his spacious window offered.

"Of course."

Only after Buckthorn turned away and began walking towards the closet room did Mr. President turned his back from the window, reaching into the walnut desk drawer for a fat cigar & a fancy lighter.

 _"Swoosh-"_

The tip lit up, emitting lingering smoke.

"Hm.. about time to get dressed for the cocktail party." He mumbled, looking at his wristwatch. Mr. President was more of a normal sized middle aged man with a slightly protruding belly from his customary red wine enjoyment, which occurs daily. Mr. President's name is Bilberry. Mostly jubilant, and insanely wealthy. Why so wealthy? He's Rouge Kingdom's leading economic figure, the President of this country's largest Adult Entertainment Company!

Naniiiiii!? Yep. Rouge Kingdom is the only country in the New World where the law allows legal prostitution and all sorts of other adult entertainments. Secretly thought after by thin boys hitting puberties from all over the world! Horny tourists' favorite destination, even traveling Navy ships like to make this place a resting point to "restock their supplies", because the reason is obvious. Marine code has no regulation regarding forbidden islands, except for Mariejois, where they need the Tenryubito's permission. It's an open secret that soldiers frequent night bars offering special services while they make a stop here. Once stepping on this piece of land, you are legally free to visit any adult facility, as long as you are 18 or older. Although such lewd preference among the Marine soldiers is strongly discouraged by Sengoku.

 _One normal day in Marine HQ_

 _Sengoku was sitting in front of his desk reading newspaper, while robotically munching on senbei crackers. Suddenly his eyes stumbles upon a page dedicated to tourist resort rankings top 10. Rouge Kingdom's popularity position is just above Loguetown, famous for the birth and death place of Gold D. Roger. A large colorful picture of Rouge Kingdom's famous red light district was attached with the article. Sengoku's sharp eyes quickly noticed the small backside of a marine soldier in the picture's corner._

 _Green tea spilled from his mouth and blood vessels found their ways towards the white of Sengoku's eyes in a jiffy. His sheep got scared._

 _"Naniiiiiii!" He couldn't believe his eyes. "How disgraceful to the Marine!" One palm hopelessly cupped his forehead, teeth grinding. "This lad is foolish enough to get captured on camera for the whole world to see! Marine's image is tarnished!" He sighed. Admiral Kuzan napping cross-legged in another nearby chair heard Sengoku's rage and lifted his sleeping mask half way up._

 _"Hm? What's the matter?" The Admiral lazily asked._

 _"See for yourself!" Sengoku threw him the newspaper; Kuzan single handedly caught it with ease._

 _Kuzan looked into the now wrinkled page and interestingly "hmmm" ed and "ohhh" ed. "Alright." He said as he placed the sleeping mask back to his eyes. "I'll mark Rouge Kingdom as my next destination."_

 _Sengoku: ..._

Rouge Kingdom is in fact a very, very rich and regulated country with many laws of its own, which even the World Government cannot easily change, due to the two parties' strong economical tie. The Adult industry is a prominent aspect contributing of the country's powerful wealth, but it's not everything. Tourism, luxury shopping, and a variety of goods exportation are all factors of income. Pirates stopping by Rouge Kingdom usually gather in Vilaine District, a hot messy town that Marines turn on a blind eye.

Enough with our story's background. The real character is about to make her appearance!

179 cm tall, small chested and thin, Pickleberry in an expensive gown awaits for her father in the horse carriage. The door suddenly opens on the side and the entire carriage tilts as the jolly Bilberry in his new tailor-made suit steps on the step and hop! He's in, beside his daughter Pickleberry. Yes our main character Pickleberry is Rouge Kingdom's tycoon's only precious daughter! Bathed in wealth since birth, the kind of girl who can always obtain what she desires without being a brat, luckily. If you ask every girl in Rouge Kingdom what their one wish is, they would tell you something different, but deep down each and everyone of them would wish they could switch life with Pickleberry.

"Took you long enough, dad." Pickleberry said while playing with her satin purse.

"Let's go to the cocktail party!"


	2. two

Two

Pickleberry gracefully swiped the small curtain aside to see the world beyond her rolling carriage. Her eyes could pick out tourists on the street, as local residents dress in a more "haute couture" type of fashion. She doesn't dislike seeing tourists flooding her hometown, knowing that their patronage in Rouge Kingdom adds up her family's fortune. Her father Bilberry's enormous company owns many of the upscale brothels, bars and casinos adored by tourists after all.

"Miss Pickleberry, your purse," Pickleberry's spaced out mind didn't feel the thing sliding off her legs and fell to the ground. Buckthorn the intimidating body guard + errand boy of her father's picked it up and held it in front of her. He was in the carriage too, no matter where Bilberry goes, he goes.

Pickleberry slightly nodded her head after casting a reserved glance at Buckthorn's black shades to show acknowledgement. Buckthorn is creepy, according to the rich miss. Always wearing shades regardless of the surroundings. Too tall, too stoic, with an insensitive voice.

Bilberry told his intimidating servant to pour them some champagne to ease the boredom, which he complied without a single word. Bilberry doesn't feel the same way as his daughter. He trusts Buckthorn and feels comfortable in his presence.

Pickleberry only sipped the tiny amount equal to a grain of rice. She mostly just puts the cup under her nose to breathe in the champagne's scent. Alcohol's taste doesn't appeal to her. Beer especially, she thinks it tastes like yeasty urine.

"Berry pie, if you don't like it, just give it to Buckthorn," says her father. Berry pie is her nickname only her father is allowed to use. The girl's mind is immediately occupied with grossness thinking about Buckthorn drinking something she previously sipped. Wouldn't that be like an indirect kiss or some sort?! Her face contorted into an awkward countenance and handed the champagne cup to the man in black, who gulped it down in a surprisingly classy manner.

The carriage halts in front of a lavish mansion, the Mayor's house. The man who is hosting the cocktail party for Rouge Kingdom's elite.

"We are here."

Buckthorn dismounted the carriage first and stood by the door erectly, waiting. Bilberry followed, finally Pickleberry's turn. Buckthorn gentlemanly stretched out his long arm to let her hold onto for balance. Pickleberry ignored him and purposely hoped off in a childish manner, an action that almost twisted her ankle, sending cold sweat to her backside.

"Hmph!" She looked away.

Buckthorn: ...

Some confident, upper class people stood in front of the grand mansion entrance, harvesting the fresh scent of neatly trimmed rose bushes, while socializing with each other. Bilberry the big shot and his company's arrival attracted their attention as their eyes are now on them. Pickleberry did not feel slightly embarrassed as she is used to being under the spot light. However, she noticed among the elites stood a Marine officer followed by a lower ranking solider.

"Miss Pickleberry! Look this way!" Two people in formal wear took her attention. She locked eyes with two denden mushi camera men working for the local newspaper. The snail cameras began snapping pictures of her and Bilberry. No big deal. She didn't smile, giving a cold, aristocratic vibe.

A strong gust of wind suddenly came and blew the ladies hair out of fashion. "Ohhh! Oh!" They cried.

"Ahhh!" The solider's handheld stack of paper got taken away by the wind. He panicked and meekly glanced at his officer to see if he's mad before begin chasing the flying sheets. Some gentlemen helped amassing the fallen papers too. One of them glided under Pickleberry's foot. She picked it up; it's a Wanted Poster.

"Trafalgar Law," she reads.

Her eyes widened for a millisecond when she saw the bounty: 200 000 000 belli, almost the price of her family's vacation ship. It's no big money for her, but she knew full well it's a heavenly number for average people. What's so special about this guy, deserving such unusually high bounty?

"I'm so sorry!" hastily apologized the soldier as he took the poster away from Pickleberry's grasping fingers.

"Wait!" she called out, scaring the hat off the Navy soldier. He froze, cheeks famin' red. He already developed a tiny hormonal crush on the tall, elegant Pickleberry since seeing her for the first time. Wearing a simple, graceful updo, high statured body clad in a slim dress. With heels, her height greatly surpasses the lad in front of her, which further intimidates him. Knowing her social status, he's too shy to look her in the eyes. "Y-yes?"

The Marine officer sighed at his subordinate's embarrassing clumsiness. She saw through the solider's typical teenage boy mind but didn't really care. Such sheepish and scrawny man is a turn off, although she's condescendingly enjoying the effect she has on him. "Who is Trafalgar Law? Why is his bounty so high?"

"I'm glad you asked, Miss." The officer cut in, much to the solider's relief; the inside of his pants is already on the verge to go bazooka. "We are here today to inform you honorables to please increase personal security measures at the World Government's request. Pirates of of the Worst Generation has been committing notorious crimes in various islands since arriving in the New World through Sabaody Archipelago a few months ago. Also referred as the Eleven Super Novas, each pirate's bounty exceeds 100 000 000 belli. Trafalgar Law has one of the highest, please watch out. I'm going to make an official announcement later with complete details when all the guests are here."

"I see," replied Pickleberry.

She couldn't help but subtly glance at the poster once again, now in the solider's hand. Her eyes locked on the picture. That confident grin on those chiseled features made Pickleberry looked again and again after briefly retracting her gaze. Why couldn't she stop looking? The more she looked into Trafalgar Law's eyes in the picture, the more this new sensation bloomed inside of her. She couldn't believe this, but she feels she is developing a crush... on a pirate!?


	3. three

Three

During the cocktail party, the lighthearted Bilberry engaged himself in business conversations with a small clique of moguls while savoring aged old wine and bite sized delicacies prepared by the chef. The men's laughter can be often heard in Pickleberry's vicinity. They enjoyed themselves so well that they gradually retreated into a private room to comfortably resume their conversation, leaving Buckthorn to guard the door.

Pickleberry remains in the main event room with other guests. Everywhere, upper class elites and their dates are all in small groups, socializing. A rich playboy who followed his parents to this party came up and tried to initiate small talk with Pickleberry, whom uninterestedly but politely replied with short answers. More over, her mind is constantly on Trafalgar Law's wanted poster. "He is a man of different world," she thought, "a pirate who lives on the sea under the Marine's pursuit." What kind of life is that, she wondered. She wouldn't mind trying out pirate-lifestyle for a few days, not forever, because she still prefers living like a princess.

A servant gentlemanly bowed at Pickleberry and kindly gestured her to select a drink from the platter. She chose orange juice poured inside a high-stem glass, mildly surprising the playboy, who thought she would choose a more classy beverage such as cocktail.

She gracefully held up the glass by the stem with three slender fingers, lips nonchalantly placed on the edge and drank it down the throat; such simple action led lewd fantasies into the playboy's mind. Normally, most boys scared of rejection leave Pickleberry alone, causing her to be single even at 20 with very few pursuers. Pickleberry has a high dignity, thus uninterested in the potential suitor in front of her.

Pickleberry, is in fact, a kind person at heart, although proud and sometimes aloof. She's got the height, the money and elegance to gain effortless respect wherever she go. Most of all, she is smart in the cranium. A law student at Rouge University's prominent law department she is, with top marks.

The tall girl got tired of the playboy so she excused herself to the washroom. The problem is, she doesn't know where it is exactly, but she doesn't care, as her priority is to shun away for some private time. Passed through a wide hallway outside the main room, she's alone at last.

Instead of really going to the washroom, she wandered into the mayor's child's ginormous playroom. She's alone, but could hear distanced voices from the party. The room has silk carpeting, lots of stuffed animals and coordinated furnitures. A magnificently embellished vintage mirror is especially eye-catching. She stopped in front of this old floor length mirror and did some mannequin poses out of playful impulse. Pickleberry is a little narcissistic after all. She blew herself a kiss and imagined that would seduce Trafalgar Law if he saw it. Immediately, such wild thought caught her off guard and she felt totally repulsed. This pirate appeared once again in the back of her mind, which made her frown. "Why am I still thinking about him?" She thought.

The cozy ambience emitted by the playroom made her want to lie down on the nearby couch, which she did. And just like that, she felt asleep!

zzzzz~

After who knows how long after she slept, she dreamt of herself falling off a cliff by the sea. The realistic feeling of sinking into the abyss woke her up, but she didn't budge after gaining consciousness, not even a single twitch of her eyelids. Then, something felt wrong. There was a presence in the room with her.

Pickleberry was scared, because through gut feeling, that presence is not benevolent. Cold sweat begin to seep out of her back, she wants to look but doesn't dare to. Sensing that presence slowly yet quietly getting closer frightened her like never before. She gathered enough courage to finally open her eyes a tiny tiny crack and immediately screamed, only to have a quick hand over her mouth to muffle the cry. She saw an unknown man in a suit. Instinctively, Pickleberry struggled to try to escape the perpetrator.

"Who is he?!" Her inner voice fearfully screamed. "Let go you pig!" she tried to kick him in the crotch but missed.

The playroom's door suddenly opened and a humming maid carrying cleaning stuffs entered. This unexpected visitor immediately made the man let go of Pickleberry. The girl grasped the opportunity and dashed out of the room, shocking the maid, who then saw this uninvited man alone in the room.

"Damn it, now we have to use force!" Cursed the man in the suit, then he chased after Pickleberry, pushing away the petrified maid standing by the door.

Pickleberry's long legs carried her like a track star fleeing from zombie attack, throwing the pursuing man behind. She thought he wouldn't dare follow her to the main party room where so many people are thus she aimed to go there. She ran wildly back into the large room and bent down to catch her breath, attracting many guests' attention. The playboy from earlier noticed her flashy entrance and ran up to her, putting an arm around her to show concern, "are you alright? did something happened in the washroom?"

For once, Pickleberry feels relieved and happy to see this womanizer. Her chest continues to move up and down, huffing. She had no time talking and quickly ran to the Marine officer and his subordinate. Before she could even open her mouth to speak, the man in the suit charged into the party room looking for Pickleberry.

This unexpected bold action totally blew Pickleberry's mind. He's practically jumping into the fire! At this precise moment her sharp eyes discovered some men among the guests who weren't there before. Those men made eye contact with the perpetrator as if they know each other. One of them nodded in a consenting manner, then several of them yanked over nearby guests' neck to their chest and put a gun to the hostages' head. Horrified gasping sounds circulated around the room. Now everyone is stupefied, and many finally notice the new strange faces.

"Don't cause a commotion, unless you want these people dead." A new, stocky man dressed in stripped suit and top hat entered the room, smoking a cigar between his teeth. Composed, he carres a Mafia-like air around him. This man seems to be the leader of the men in suits.

"Ca-Capone Bege!" Exclaimed the Marine officer. He jerked away the wanted posters from his subordinate's hands in one swop then compared the picture of one of them with the new Mafia looking man. "No mistake... he's the real one. A Super Nova!"


	4. four

**Four**

"No mistake! He's the real one... a Super Nova!" The Marine officer cried out.

The guests went out of control; cacophonous sounds of screams and cries pounded on Pickleberry's eardrums.

"It's Capone Bege...! Marine save us!"

"How did they breach the mansion's tight security!?"

The two stupefied Marines are severely outnumbered against the mafia-like men. Soon they are defeated. Before the Marine officer passed out, he managed to connect a call to Marine HQ through his mini denden mushi to get reinforcement.

One of the men noticed the denden mushi and yanked it out of the officer's wrist and threw it on the marble floor. The impact crushed the receiver on the denden mushi into pieces; the snail's set free and frantically crawled away.

Facing all this unstrained mess, the corners of Capone's mouth bended downward. "QUITE!" He bellowed. The screaming crowd silenced; all fearful eyes on him.

"Heh." The Pirate captain's eyes scanned the room from left to right, then landed on Pickleberry. "Not bad," he commented, sending a confused shock all over her.

"I have no business with you party guests today. I'm here for the Mayor. It seems like he's playing hide and seek with me," he amusingly mocked; the far cigar between his teeth moved up and down as his spoke.

Silence continued, not a single movement from anybody.

Capone's patience ran out. "Never thought that I would personally come for you, a Mayor of this affluent town, huh. No collaborator, upon breaching our contract shall remember the nice side of me. Come out now if you are smart! Let the top tier class have a good look at the wuss in charge of their city! Ha!"

One of the big doors of the main event room got kicked open by one of Capone's men, holding the Mayor. Everyone's eyes followed the man, who roughly shoved the Mayor in front of his boss. The Mayor quickly felt a gun pointing against his head before he could get up; he faintly trembled, sweat and dread on his face.

The stunned audience can't figure out what this is all about. Their Mayor, clad in fine garment kneeling in front of Capone Bege in surrendered pose, absent of any dignity.

Capone condescendingly looked down at the Mayor, nonchalantly took out his cigar and exhaled some smoke. Then he spoke, "where is my money?"

"I... I don't know what you are talking about!" pleaded the Mayor.

 _PEW!_

"Gagh...!" The Mayor fell down, painfully struggling and moaning on the floor; a patch of blood on his shoulder quickly expanded beyond his grasping palm pressing against the gunshot wound.

 _ **Huff... huff...**_

"I told you... I don't have it now..!" The wounded man winced.

"Did... our Mayor made some sort of deal with a Pirate..!?" Some party guests began to feel the gist of the situation.

"Keh." Capone slightly raised an eyebrow. "You are obviously able to host such extravagant party but you are telling me that you have no money?", he said while casting glances at the luxurious furnishings and silver platters filled with exotic delicacies. Capone smirked.

"Then let's just finish you off... a traitor and a useless man like yourself is unneeded in this world. My men and I will take anything we please after your head is blown off. That's how you'll repay your debt." Capone said nonchalantly as he raised his pistol a second time towards the Mayor, whose fear level is on the brink of passing out.

"Hold it right there!" An adamant voice stopped Capone from firing the shot.

Reinforcement arrived. Two dozens of Marine soldiers surrounded Capone and his men, among them, Vice-admiral Maynard. The few seconds of connection established by the Marine Officer conveyed enough hint to HQ that they are in trouble. Reinforcement was quickly dispatched.

Capone didn't flinch. Without even moving his head, he said "you are no match for me. We easily have you outnumbered."

"We ask you to quietly surrender, Capone Bege!" Maynard commanded.

Capone showed no emotion. He retracted his pistol, but didn't quite let go of the Mayor either; the latter was still in control under one of the mafia-like men. Small cavities opened on Capone's body, revealing little people inside. The guests and marine soldiers were mystified, while Capon's men all understood something and retreated as far as they could. Pickleberry too, couldn't figure out what was happening. The little people inside Capone also dress in mafia style clothing, pushing tiny canons towards the cavities' openings. The weapons went off. Suddenly, beyond a certain point in the air, all the propellants' size expanded and exploded full power like real canons. The guests and marine soldiers haven't had the time to reflect what was happening. Floor tiles blasted into pieces, fumes are everywhere. Chaos took over again. People's screams filled the room. Pickleberry's leg was grazed by some flying debris, blood rolled down her long shin. Her dress was cut in several places too. She painfully got up and cursed: "fuuuudge if this scars Capone old man you are going to pay!".

The Marine and Capone pirates clashed.

Saving herself is more important at this moment so Pickleberry ran towards the private room where her father is supposed to be. Smoke was hindering her vision but she managed to find the room without being caught by Capone's men. In fact no one was paying attention to her in this mayhem.

Buckthorn wasn't in front of the door. The door itself was ajar. Noticing these details, Pickleberry dashed inside anyway. "Dad! Let's get out of here!" she huffed.

No one was in the room.

"Good, they must have escaped!"

 **"Hey you!"** One of Capone's men in mafia suit noticed Pickleberry and charged into the room after her.

"Shiet!" She quickly turned around and ran into another room. Behind her, sounds of a gun being loaded alarmed Pickleberry so much she was frightened. The new room's a dead end. She had no choice but to push open a floor length window and jump out in order to not get shot.

It's a second floor window, Pickleberry shut her eyes hard and expected to get injured. To her surprise, blossomed camellia shrubs caught her at ground level and alleviated the falling impact.

Capone's man began to fire rounds of shots at her from the upper window, but none of them hit Pickleberry and she got away.

"DAMN!" He cursed, angrily slamming the empty pistol on the ground.

Lots of Marine soldiers have surrounded the mansion from the outside too. Pickleberry immediately felt much safer and ran towards the closest Marine for help. They put her to safety inside a beautifully trimmed labyrinth maze behind the mansion. Gradually more and more party guests rescued from the mansion joined her. The noble women embraced together for reassurance, sobbing. Some are angry, complaining that their day is ruined.

Yells, explosions and gunshots could still be heard in their vicinity. Mostly coming from the mansion. Who knows what happened to the Mayor.

Pickleberry's father Billberry, their bodyguard Buckthorn and the other business moguls in that private room remain unfound. Pickleberry's worried for her father but at the same time felt a bit exhilarated at the core; this is the first time something of this caliber has happened to her. It's like princess life suddenly got into a kaboom! twist.

"Miss Pickleberry! Look this way!"

 _Flash! Flash!_

The two denden mushi cameramen from earlier began snapping pictures again, it felt like deja vu. This time it's probably for the newspaper in regard to the Capone Bege invasion. Pickleberry was caught off guard, but didn't refuse them either.

A video camera denden mushi entered the green labyrinth to capture the state of the rescued party guests along with Pickleberry in it.

Now they're doing a live broadcast?

Everywhere in the New World people have their eyes glued to the screen, taking in the shocking live footage of the Marine battling against Super Nova Capone Bege and his men.

The battles, the exterior of the mansion where more Marines are standing by, and the conditions of the rescued party guests in the labyrinth take turns to display on screen. Without her knowing, the scene of Pickleberry sitting against the green labyrinth wall is getting viral attention form viewers all over. Her long bruised legs in heels are elegantly stretched out, unintentionally displaying their toned, beautiful curves. A few strains of hair fallen from her stylish high bun tastefully framed her face without even trying. Not to mention the now slightly ragged satin gown makes a perfectly-accidental bohemian dress. Everything fits so well even when she's all tattered up. (can you believe it?) The fashion world just picked up a new trend thanks to her unintentionally ragged style...


	5. five

**Five**

 _(Hey guys, thank you all for your support! :) I'm feeling inspired)_

"The battle is taking an ugly turn! "The live news reporter standing in front of the mansion exclaimed." Marines are getting knocked out by Capone Bege's crew en mass! Did you hear me? I said **en mass**! This is such a disgrace to Justice!"

" **Hey!** " A nearby Marine soldier who heard the reporter gave him a knock on the back of the head. "Stop humiliating us further damn it!" He yelled as he lift an angry fist.

"Oww..." The reporter rubbed the bump and something else caught his attention. "Ohhh what's this? The rescued party guests are being evacuated out of the Mayor's estate...! A lot of them are injured and need help!"

People everywhere are still very engaged in the poignant fight in Rouge Kingdom through their local broadcast screens. The number of audience keep increasing.

"I wish I had a mansion like that!" Some exclaimed.

"Capone is really strong!"

Of course... you can't forget Pickleberry. The broadcast denden mushi's zooming in on her every now and then because she's the most eye catching character among the escapees.

Pickleberry got up and went with other guests to be guided out of the Labyrinth. "Hey...! Young lady, let me assist you, your leg is wounded!" A blushing Marine came to her and took her arm, startling Pickleberry. Then one after another, more Marines who noticed Pickleberry want to help her, pissing off the other ladies.

Broadcast audiences can't stay still anymore either, a lot of them started cussing because, well, they're envious that these Marines could breathe the same air as this beautiful girl and being in her vicinity.

"Pff," Pickleberry rolled her eyes, feeling slightly annoyed at the Marines swarming around her. The enamored soldiers have hearts in their eyes, attracted to Pickleberry like moths to a flame. Pickleberry's tall frame stands just as tall as most of them; she's not into short guys (for her standard). Guys this desperate are a turn-off. She ignored them until suddenly she noticed her father Billberry among the evacuating crowd. Buckthorn and the other missing moguls are there too. She ditched the Marines and ran up to her dad.

"Dad!" She called.

Billberry turned around and embraced his daughter. "Berry pie am I glad to see you are fine!"

"Where did you guys go when Capone invaded us?" she hastily asked.

"Buckthorn detected the intruders but it was too late to do anything. He led us to a safe place and went out looking for you after Capone and the Marine started fighting." Billberry sniffed, sounding a bit emotional. He pulled out a handkerchief out his breast pocket and said, "I was prepared for the worst, but thank goodness you are well..."

 _Blowing nose..._

"So that's how it went..." Pickleberry thought.

The battle between Capone's crew and the Marine drew to a conclusion. The pirates won, and they loaded all the undamaged valuables from the Mayor's mansion to their ship. The Mayor survived the clash but got removed from his position for doing underground business with pirates. Rouge Kingdom's capital city is now vacant of a Mayor..! After a week of consecutive conferences and meetings between the top officials of the country, they appointed a new Mayor.

Meanwhile throughout the New World, coverage of the Capone invasion of Rouge Kingdom is everywhere on the newspaper, having occupied the front page for a few days, then slowly died out. Pickleberry's picture in the garden labyrinth is also featured on the newspaper and fashion magazines, due to the attention she received during the live broadcast.

"Surprisingly photogenic victim"

"Mysterious girl in Capone invasion"

"How to get Capone invasion girl's boho chic style..."

"New trend inspired by Capon invasion girl"

Pickleberry read these titles out loud from a pile of recent newspapers and magazines in an unbelievably sarcastic tone, then threw them in a paper bin. Sighing while shaking her head in disbelief, "What the heck? They can't just use my picture without permission?! I could totally sue them for privacy violation!"

That's a law student attitude for ya...

Another few days passed...

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Come in."

"Mayor Billberry, your tea is ready," said Buckthorn, the tall, intimidating bodyguard/errand boy, carrying a fine tray of tea sets.

"Ohohoho...! The jolly Billberry laughed, turning around in his executive chair to face his trusted bodyguard. "I'm not quite used to that name yet, the old title is just fine."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"It sounds rather strange isn't it? I'm merely a Mayor of this affluent town, yet I feel more comfortable being referred as 'President' as a habit of my being the president of my own company! Ohohoho!"

Buckthorn smiled.

"Call Pickleberry to dinner tonight, we haven't dined together in a restaurant since the Capone invasion."

"Yes, Mr. President."

 _That night in an upscale restaurant_

Pickleberry sat with Billberry, and some men who now work under her father as the city Mayor. She wore a longer gown to conceal the scabbing on her leg from that day's injury. Elegant waves of silky hair neatly hanging down her mid back, she ate with good manners while listening to the conversation.

"To the new Mayor!" Everyone held out their champagne glass for a toast.

"Our city's new security measure looks very promising." One man proudly said. "Since the Capone invasion, we increased local harbor's security to a maximum. Average pirates won't stand a chance to enter this city now! Although Vilaine District still needs some work..."

 _*Vilaine District is literally a less regulated red light district with lots of bars. A place where pirates frequent._

"Rumor says rookie Trafalgar Law is steering up new waves in The New World." Another man said, in a lower tone to sound more discreet. The mention of Trafalgar Law immediately caught Pickleberry's attention. The man continued: "any pirate ship that crosses path with the Heart Pirates won't escape in one piece. When the defeated pirates are found days later, their chest cavity is all empty! All organs are there, except for the heart! It seems the pirate captain is planning on something..."

"Oh my gosh, this is beyond disturbing. I have a crush on a pirate and he's more ruthless than I imagined..." She thought. Now her feelings for Trafalgar Law is all mixed up.

Pickleberry is a savant from being a prominent academic at her University, in addition of having the habit of reading any book that interests her. She knows a lot about this world and all the new things outside of Rouge Kingdom. She traveled with her family to lots of islands before too. On the day of the Capone invasion, she experienced for the first time adrenaline of being in a dangerous situation. The relieved feeling of escaping death was nothing like what she felt before, it gave her the appreciation for simply being alive. Those feelings are novelty to her, something deep inside her is steering up. She wants to go travel and experience more excitement! A pampered princess life could be put on standby for a while.

In the carriage on their way back to the family mansion, Pickleberry told her father this idea but received no support whatsoever.

"I respect your desire of experience new things, but you need to consider who you are." Billberry said. "I never refused any request from you before, but this unfortunately will be the first one. A wealthy girl from an affluent family is an obvious target for pirates and bandits. You are still in school, you can't simply forsake your studies."

"Dad... I only want to go out for two weeks and then come back, plus school won't start for another two months..." Pickleberry's finally said.

Billberry flinched. "Ohhhh, I see I see, why don't you say so from the start? I fear you were planning on wandering forever and become a delinquent" Her jolly father's mood brightened a lot, relieved.

Pickleberry: ...

She rolled her eyes and facepalmed her forehead.

Finally, approval is obtained. Pickleberry will be sailing out in her family's vacation ship, this time without her parents. But, she will be having a personal chef, a navigator, two maids and three bodyguards with her on the ship in case they run into pirates! Is three bodyguards enough? Well Billberry thinks so because he said they formerly worked for the World Nobles.

Fresh food and other inventories are loaded onto the ship; Pickleberry herself packed a bunch of clothes for all occasions and other necessities.

The first destination is decided to be Mogaro Island!

A few days later, Pickleberry bid goodbye to her parents and departed from Rough Kingdom with her servants!

 _A few days later... somewhere at sea..._

On the deck, Pickleberry is lounging on a summer chair while reading a book. The wind is soothing yet strong enough to move the sails at a steady pace. The hint of saltiness in the air smells just like the ocean, which makes Pickleberry relaxed and content. Nothing come into her mind at this moment. She is present, in the now, and enjoying her day.

"Miss Pickleberry! We are reaching Mogaro Island soon!" Called the ship's navigator from the crow's nest.

Pickleberry closed the book in her hand and saw there's indeed a small dot from afar. Mogaro Island! She went inside and looked for a reference book on Mogaro Island's tourism info.

Everything seemed worth going so Pickleberry decided to just explore everywhere once she gets off the ship.

"What to wear though..." She started picking out an outfit suitable for Mogaro's weather.

"Hmm... tank top... too casual. Shirt... too tight and formal. Cocktail dress.. why did I even brought this." In only a bra and underwear, she pick and tossed every piece her hand could grab.

"Miss Pickl-

"Don't come in!" The girl freaked out and threw a shoe to the door before one of her bodyguard could see her.

"Gee, knock before you enter a girl's room..!" She whined, then resumed looking for an outfit.

Finally, she settled down on a knee length summer dress with matching heels. Her hair is tied in a high sleek bun. All so simple, but fresh looking and classy. She satisfyingly looked at her reflection in the floor length mirror, being a bit narcissistic.

The ship docked on the island and Pickleberry only let one bodyguard follow her to town, because she thought all three coming with her is kinda excessive.

Mogaro is a fun kingdom, and a beautiful one. The ground is aesthetically paved for a light hearted and smooth walking experience. Houses and buildings are built by light colored stones, clean looking and beautiful. Multiple fountains with intricately carved statues are spread throughout the kingdom in central gathering areas. The people seems happy and content. Unique boutiques and restaurants are common.

"Whoa..." Murmurs are coming from here and there as Pickleberry walked freely in town.

She made lots of men turn their heads while she minds her own business, the same pattern happens everywhere she goes.

Finally she hauled enough bags that her bodyguard had to go back to the ship to put them away for her. Pickleberry haven't had enough of this town yet, she insists on waiting for the bodyguard in a cafe. It's located in a safe common place so he agreed to temporarily leave her there.

Pickleberry ordered a drink. Her gaze followed the passerbys outside the window. Everything seemed ordinary until she noticed a suspicious looking fellow sporting a loosely-fitting white jumpsuit and a hat that says "Penguin". This guy kept glancing back and forth as if he's making sure no one is following him. His walking pace is also painfully slow compared to other people. He doesn't look like a bad person, although his behavior caught Pickleberry's curiosity. He finally picked up his normal walking speed and turned into an alley. Right at this moment an object fell out of his pocket; he didn't notice and went on.

Pickleberry quickly came out of the cafe and went picked it up.

"It's an eternal pose!"

This thing is valuable to navigators so she thought the right thing to do is to catch up to him and give it back. She entered the same alley to look for the man, although the latter had gone quite far already as he couldn't be seen anymore. Upon walking a bit deeper she is perplexed by which way to go: there's a fork which leads to three different paths, and the farther the alleys the more sketchy they look.

Sketchy signs began to appear on the walls more and more often: "treasure bar", "Grandline oddities", "pirate hut", etc. Some thug looking people came out from some seedy doorway and began to smoke while eyeing Pickleberry up and down.

She thought it's time to go back, things are not looking well. Just when she turned around, two men with not so friendly faces blocked her path. They smirked and confidently walked closer to her. "Girl need an escort?" One of them amusingly said.

Pickleberry was taken aback but said: "I'm fine, I have someone waiting for me outside of these alleys."

"Ohhh.. no, another kind of escort. How about we go have some fun, eh?"

Repulse surged in Pickleberry's gut. "Who the f*ck do you think you are?"

"Haaaaaaaah?" The two men raised an eyebrow with mocking disbelief. Their faces turned more devilish than earlier after Pickleberry's verbal attack. They're super bad news. At that moment, she noticed the overwhelming feeling of angry humiliation. It's also not something she get to feel back home, but it's totally not pleasant to experience.

"Why you, I guess we have to teach you a hard lesson! I'll break that pretty neck of yours!" One of the men said while cracking his knuckles.

Pickleberry started running straight away, she couldn't go towards the direction where she came from, since those two are blocking the way. She ran deeper into the alleys...

Adrenaline is rushing through her veins again! This is scary but exhilarating..!

"Come back here!"

 _ **Huff... huff...**_

She made a quick turn at the end of an alley and noticed an open doorway. She immediately went in to get away from the two pursuers. They continue to run forward, not knowing Pickleberry is hiding away.

It seems like she escaped from them but fearing they might come back, she went in a bit more. Lively music, sounds of laughter and glass toasting are becoming more audible. Her confused state of mind expected this to be an equally seedy bar full of pirates. It is a bar though, but not too bad, considering the location. The place's got musicians playing live music to entertain guests, and-

"We found you..!"

The hair on Pickleberry's neck stood up as she totally recognized the voice to be one of the two thugs chasing her earlier. How did they find out she's in here?! And so fast?!

Some of the customers sitting closer to them noticed the situation but are expecting to witness a good show rather than helping.

"Ohh scums... these low class pigs..." She secretly cursed while feeling shameful for humanity. Now she's hesitant to disrupt the customers sitting further in fear they are equally lowly and unsympathetic.

The thug took out a small stick-like object and swiped it once; a sharp blade quickly popped out form one end. Pickleberry immediately gulped. She felt this is no joke and he's definitely not scared to use it.

The staring customers are starting to make a fuss. "Yeah man! Show us what you got!" A few cheered and blew lewd whistle to tease Pickleberry, who took a step back, now seriously fearing for her life. What if he disfigure her?! The thought terrifies her more than death itself. What's the point of living when you are not beautiful? She thought. All this mess happened because of that white jumpsuit penguin guy had dropped his eternal pose!

Speaking of which she coincidentally spotted said guy in the farthest corner of this bar, seemingly not aware of what's happening on the other side.

 **"HEY YOUUUUUU!"** She bellowed in extreme anger, pointing a mad finger at the jumpsuit man.

Now everyone in the bar stopped doing what they were doing and looked at Pickleberry.

She quickly gained fans as people began to notice her overall beauty. Those slender and toned arm, those equally slender and long legs are totally mannequin like. From face to body you can't find a visible flaw. Lewd whistles immediately increased, along with the sudden increase of supporters.

"Yeah girl go for it! We are on your side! Woohoo!"

Pickleberry began to break out an awkward cold sweat.

The penguin jumpsuit guy is still unaware of anything until the person next to him tapped on his shoulder, and then gestured him to look at Pickleberry's direction, who's still pointing at him.

"huh? Who, me?" He meekly, yet innocently pointed at his own nose.

"Yeah you! Take your f*cking eternal pose!" Pickleberry threw it towards him with all her strength and it flew all the way across the bar, hit the jumpsuit man right in the face, knocking him over.

"That's enough, your opponent is me!" The thug charged towards Pickleberry's backside and was ready to stab her.

 **"Shambles!"**

The knife in the thug's hand literally got replaced by a grilled fish in a split second.

"Whooooaaa?!" The crowd broke into a confused uproar.

"Where's the knife?!"

The racket turned into laughter. "Wahahahaha!"

Pickleberry removed her attention from the jumpsuit guy and looked back at the thug, who looked mighty confused. She too didn't quite understand what just happened, and why he's holding a fish.

"...That wasn't a nice thing for you to do to my subordinate." A stranger's calm voice spoke to Pickleberry. "More importantly, you shouldn't be here." A hand grabbed her shoulder; she turned her head to see who the unexpected person is. To her dismay, it's the man she thought about day and night, the familiar face from the Wanted Poster.

Trafalgar Law!


	6. six

**Six**

"...That wasn't a very nice thing for you to do to my subordinate." A stranger's calm voice spoke to Pickleberry. "More importantly, you shouldn't be here." A hand held her shoulder; she turned to see who the unexpected person is. To her dismay, it's the man she thought about day and night, the familiar face from the Wanted Poster.

Trafalgar Law!

Pickleberry's bright eyes widened; her heart sunk. Speaking of the devil, her consistent thoughts of the pirate brought him straight to her. Law's tall figure towered over her; intimidating air brushed against Pickleberry's own energy. He's smirking. Is this really happening?! Her heartbeat drastically increased, flustered and afraid. This is not what she wanted, not after hearing the horrors about him.

The thug who got his knife taken got super pissed. "Oi, oi, oi! You got to be joking!" He slammed the grilled fish on the floor, and took a few steps closer to them.

"Eeek!" jumped Pickleberry, unknowingly snugging closer to Law.

"This is **my** fight, bro! Who the heck do you think you are, huh!?" He bellowed right in Law's face, provoking him.

Under his fluffy hat, Law remained calm with a hint of smile. The immediate threat doesn't seem to bother him one bit.

A shaken hand grabbed the thug's shoulder from behind.

"H-hey... stop" the thug's partner said with an agitated voice. "Don't try to make him angry..! This guy is the rookie pirate Trafalgar Law!"

The revelation immediately caused a disturbance in the bar. Law wasn't obviously recognizable due to the atmospheric, dim lighting of the bar. The customers who were waiting to see a good bloody show dropped their smirk. Fearful countenance took over.

"He's among one of the Worst Generation, a Supernova with a bounty of 200 million berries!"

"What's a big name like him doing here..!?"

The surrounding people, aghast and anxious, stepped back to keep their distance from the dangerous pirate.

Trafalgar Law's smirk subtly widened with a bit of amusement. Wasting his time with these small fries is not something that appeals to him. His business with this island is finished, it's about time to go back to his submarine anyway. Law's hand, still holding Pickleberry's right shoulder, pressured her to move forward, yet she reluctantly budged. He sensed her unwillingness.

The thugs and the customers around Pickleberry don't matter anymore, Trafalgar Law's abrupt appearance instantly occupied all her attention, a myriad of sensations rushed into each other, she's utterly confused of what's she's feeling, yet at the same time, scared.

...

"What's the matter?" he asked, low enough only Pickleberry could hear. "Now's your chance to get out of here."

Pickleberry tensed up, nervousness swept over her. This is ironic, she thought. She doesn't want to remain any longer in this den of madness, yet meekly going with Trafalgar Law is an equally unreliable choice, since he's a ruthless pirate, according to circulated rumors. There's no telling what he's going to do once they are out of here.

 **"He, he he he..."** A dark and sinister laugh rang from the shadows. People in the bar quieted down and looked towards the voice's origin.

"200 Million berries... muahaha... if I can have your head, that bounty would be mine..! You've done me a favor by showing yourself, Trafalgar Law..!"

A tall, beefy pirate carrying a studded club on his shoulder walked out from a dark corner of the bar. Several men followed behind him, looking equally lowly.

"Another big shot! T-that's Jelly Pirates' captain, Redjam!" someone from the crowd fearfully pointed out.

Pickleberry gulped. She wants to go home. How she hoped her bodyguards were here. She deeply regrets her decision of getting involved in all this crap. Just a while ago she was still sipping a tasty mocha in that upscale cafe, insouciantly looking out the vitrine. Now her life is on the line in a shady underground bar full of pirates and "low class people".

Law's smile faded. He casted the pirate crew an indifferent glance form the corner of his eyes.

Before Pickleberry could figure out what to do, Redjam already began charging towards Law and her with that menacing club in hand. A direct hit by that weapon means certain death, or in a worse scenario for Pickleberry, horrendous disfigurement.

"Meh-hehe! Die!" The beefy pirate roared.

"Gyaaaa-!" She shrieked as she covers her eyes, turning her face into Law's chest.

"Tsk, these fools..." Law annoyingly mocked under his breath. His hand let go of Pickleberry's shoulder.

 **"ROOM."**

A blue bubble formed under Law's hand and it instantly expanded considerably in size as every corner of the bar is covered.

 _Swoosh- swoosh- swoosh-_

A few transient sword slashes slid the enemy pirates apart. Law's movements were so fast, trembling bystanders didn't even see him drawing his long sword. The awestruck level of whoever witnessed Law in action unquestionably increased many folds. Still conscious and perfectly alive, the dissembled pirates felt their body pieces are flowing in midair, which is exactly what is happening.

"U-unhh..!? What's happening to me?!" Redjam's dissembled head cried."

The bar broke into a mayhem of terror. Some folks frantically patted their bodies from top to bottom at they witnessed what Law had done to the others to ensure they, themselves are still in one piece.

Pickleberry still had her eyes tightly shut, unaware of the happenings other than the deafening screams erupted from all corners of the bar.

Law's polished blade brightly shone under the dim light, reflecting ascendency and power. He sheathed his sword in one smooth movement.

Unfazed, he called: "Penguin! We are leaving." He left Pickleberry's side without another word and walked towards the exit. "Yes, captain!" The white jumpsuit man who sat idle during the entire fight hopped up and quickly catches up to his captain in lively jumping steps.

The circle created by Law's room has already vanished; the pirates' body pieces fell to the ground and jumped around like fishes out of water. Pickleberry nervously removed her hands from her eyes and timidly glanced at the surroundings. Law is already gone. She felt relief, yet at the same time, slight disappointment.

"Gyaaa-!" As soon as the jumping body parts entered her view, she shrieked in disgust and horror. In one swoop, her legs went limp and her bottom sat on the floor.

No one seems to be paying malevolent attention to her anymore as everyone haven't even recovered from the shock of witnessing a Supernova's fearful power. Pickleberry arduously got back on her feet and paced herself to the exit.

The blinding sunlight overwhelmed her eyes. Finally, she's out of that den of madness.

 **"GASP!"**

Just when she thought she had escaped from danger, she crashed into the two men who just exited earlier. Law locked eyes with her, Penguin blushed.

Pickleberry felt weak in the knees again, at the same time bewildered. What's that jumpsuit man with the penguin hat doing with Trafalgar Law? Are they friends? She didn't know what to say, or do.

Now that she's stupefyingly staring at them, she unconsciously took advantage of the chance to have a proper look at Law. Her heart pounded wildly, so loud she's afraid it's actually audible. The devil's just too handsome for her to quietly admire! Statuesquely tall, he definitely surpassed 190cm. His chiseled features look even more mesmerizing in person. She thought the sideburns and goatee were really appealing. "Oh, his hands are tattooed!" Pickleberry's eyes noticed.

"...If you have nothing to say, we are leaving." Law's cold voice abruptly woke Pickleberry from her visual daydream.

She flinched, then averted her gaze elsewhere. Her cheeks are raising in temperature. Damn, she's all smitten, hopefully Law didn't see through her thoughts. Is this an infatuating blush, or embarrassment? Or both? She couldn't tell for sure. Her mind's too muddled to think straight.

"Uh.. Thank you for helping me, earlier..." She shyly murmured, with a trace of uncertainty in her tone. Pickleberry's sudden timid demeanor made Penguin blush again. The latter widely grinned, "hehe, we got our eternal pose back thanks to you!"

"... it was only a whim, it's better for you to leave the alleys. If you go West from here you could reach the main street." Law apathetically responded, looking like he's about to leave for good this time.

Pickleberry's a little hurt by Law's indifferent attitude towards her. Until now she could easily get men smitten without much effort . She mistakenly thought Law would fall into the same track, much to her dissatisfaction.

Mean while, she entirely disregarded Penguin's stare of admiration and infatuating blush.

She really doesn't know what to do anymore. She's attracted to Law, but at the same time she knows he's dangerous. Plus, guys should chase her, not the other way around. To guard her ego, she decides to stay quiet despite her heart is breaking apart.

Law removed his gaze from Pickleberry and left with Penguin. She watched them go until they couldn't be seen anymore. They happened to be heading West too.

Pickleberry let out a childish sigh. "Humph! He doesn't deserve my attention anyway!" She pouted.

"Alright, the coast is clear. They are gone far enough. I should get back to that cafe and find my bodyguard too."

She paced herself on the same path the two men took. Her heels echoed against the stone paved road; not a soul in the lonely alleys other than her. The sky darkened quickly. Dusk veiled the alleys; temperatures dropped too. Pickleberry shivered in her flimsy summer dress, fervently rubbed her hands together to get a little warmth. Gradually two shadows of different heights came into view from the distance. A tall lanky figure carrying a sword-like object and a slightly shorter one in a baggy outfit...

"Don't tell me..! It's them!" her heart jumped again, not knowing whether she's excited that she could see Law again, or it's the awkwardness of running into them again.

She noticed the two stopped, probably because they sensed her presence. She hurriedly hid behind a large trash bin before they turned around to see who's there. After a few seconds, she carefully poked out her head to make sure if they had resumed walking. Once confirmed, she quietly stood up and walked behind them again, but kept a longer distance. After a while, the two stopped and looked back again. Pickleberry repeated the same action by hiding behind something. After the coast is cleared, she came out again. She felt like a ninja, or a thief, or a ninja thief. This hide and seek game repeated several times until finally there was no large object for Pickleberry to hide before Law and Penguin suddenly stopped and looked back for the last time.

"Oi, what are you doing!?" Law finally growled in annoyance, his voice echoed in the empty alley.

Pickleberry froze on the spot. So flustered she hoped there was a hole in the ground for her to hide.

"I... I just happened to be heading for the main street as well..!" She stuttered, then pouted her lips.

"Then just properly walk! Why do you have to play hide and seek?!" Law yelled in extreme annoyance. Penguin tried his best not to burst out in laughter. It's not everyday he could see his captain be so reactionary.

"Grrrr...!" She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She utterly lost all her face today to a bunch of thugs, lowly bar customers, and these pirates in front of her. Her ego never received a beating as brutal as today.

"You guys are pirates! Who would be stupid enough to blatantly walk behind you in a shitty alley at night?!" She shouted in full embarrassment, but with irritated sarcasm in her tone. She kinda mean it, she indeed still have her guard against Trafalgar Law.

Penguin put a hand by his lips and leaned closer to his captain: "you know captain, she's kinda right..."

"Tsk!" Law cussed.

"Do what ever you like..!" He turned around and left. Penguin quickly followed, but sneaked a peek at Pickleberry before he joined his captain.

Pickleberry let out a sigh. She got treated so rudely again, her ego and heart shattered into more pieces. Never in her life had someone showed such impatient and indifferent attitude towards her. Law broke both records.

The sky darkened completely, taking away the little light that remained.

Pickleberry shivered in the cold, her legs felt like marble stones. Suddenly, faint cacophonous cries and screams caught her attention, seemingly from the direction of the main street. Gunshots soon accompanied the strident noises and blazing fire light permeated the sky, brightening up the alley a little.

What's happening over there!? Pickleberry picked up her pace and ran to the direction of the chaos. Law is really gone this time, but never mind him. She's almost there; she passed through 2 more alleys and found herself on the main street, adjacent to the cafe she stayed at earlier.

Citizens frantically ran in all directions, agitated and frightened. Some trees are burning in flames, blurring the surrounding landscape. Gunshots rang again, this time much closer to her. Pickleberry jumped out of fright, then saw malevolent looking men taking down two running people.

She gasped.

 **"Pirates! It's a pirate invasion!"** A man hopelessly yelled.


	7. seven

**seven**

"Buahaha!" laughed the pirate who just gunned down two citizens. Maliciously grinning, he complacently swirled the pistol around his finger, indifferent of the victims' agonizing struggles for their last breath. Nearby citizens evaded the gruesome pool of blood as they frantically escaped, tears and snot running everywhere on their faces.

Pickleberry witnessed the excruciating, final convulsion the bodies before they stopped moving completely. Her breathing shallowed, lips trembling. She unconsciously stepped back, hoping to escape before she's targeted too.

She blended in with the fleeing citizens, eyes frantically searching for the familiar figure of her bodyguard Brandy, to whom she promised to wait in the cafe. Under the circumstance of an uncalculated pirate incursion, she's certain the rendez-vous is not happening. The very cafe itself is engulfed in flames.

"Brandy!" Pickleberry cried, "Brandy where are you!?"

Her heels are killing her. She went through so much today. Her body is already on the brink of reaching its limit. More pirates appeared, setting houses on fire, looting local shops, and shooting anyone their bullets could pierce. Night winds picked up the flames, carrying over the sparks to nearby trees and flammable constructions. Soon, the town is on the verge of being inundated in a sea of fire.

Pirates snatched petrified girls and boys, then shoved them with the rest of the captives. Herded together, other armed pirates are watching over them to prevent any escape. "She'll fetch a high price..!" A pirate gripping one of the girls' face snarled with greed. Pickleberry overhead this line. They are going to be auctioned at the Human Shop on Sabaody Archipelago!

"What's with this kingdom?! This is hell!" Pickleberry uncontrollably weeped, cupping her trembling lips with a hand.

She can't let pirates notice her, or else they'd kidnap her too.

"Miss Pickleberry!" among the cacophonous cries of the citizens, a distant, yet familiar voice called.

It's Brandy! And another one of her bodyguard, Fern! They spotted her in the massive crowd! Each clad in sharp looking dark suits, their appearances stood out easily among the citizens. They must be looking all over for her! Pickleberry's wretched spirit instantly assuaged. No desire surpasses more than reuniting with them in this chaos; she quickly changed course and struggled against the mob of running citizens to reach them. Brandy and Fern also rushed towards her as fast as they could.

Pickleberry buried her face in Brandy's chest and bawled.

"Brandy, I was so scared..!" she sobbed.

"...!"

Brandy is caught off guard by this unprecedented gesture, so is Fern. They looked at each other dumbfounded then looked back at the crying Pickleberry. The haughty and unapproachable girl whom they have served for years is behaving like a different person now. Never had she displayed such reliance and weakness in front of anyone. Profusely sweating, Brandy hesitantly patted her back like how he would comfort another dude. For as long as he could remember, under Pickleberry's order, all bodyguards and male house servants in her family have to keep at least a distance of two meters from her. In general she's just likes to give all men a hard time, no matter who they are. Pickleberry would not easily forgive Brandy after she collected herself if he unintentionally did a wrong move.

Her convulsing sobs gradually soothed. "I had enough...! I want to go back to Rouge Kingdom!"

"Miss Pickleberry, please rest assured now. We'll escort you back to the ship and leave this island."

Under her bodyguards' protection, Pickleberry safely reached the port where their ship is docked.

When they were about a few hundred meters away from their ship, a deafening blast went off in their vicinity. Warehouses by the port are blown to pieces; the smell of burned metal scraps irritated the air. Sharp debris flew everywhere.

Savaging roars are becoming audible; mobs of pirates are invading this remote side of the island. No pirate ship could be spotted around Pickleberry's, meaning the pirate fleet must be stationed elsewhere.

"There are people!" One of the pirate who noticed them shouted to his crews.

"This is dangerous, please get on the ship, Miss Pickleberry! We'll hold them back!" Fern and Brandy shielded her behind their backs without moving their gaze from the invading pirates.

"B-but, what about you?!" Asked Pickleberry uncharacteristically. Until now she never verbally expressed concern for anyone, being proud and slightly aloof. Deep down, her nature is kind after all.

"It's our job to make sure you are safe, please do as we say! We'll come back to you as soon as we get the situation under control. Alber (the 3rd bodyguard) and the rest of the crew are still on the ship, they're more than enough to set sail the ship. Please go!"

Pickleberry is on the verge of dropping tears again. This could be her last sight of Brandy and Fern. They respectively have high credentials, being World Nobles' former bodyguards. However in this situation they are severely outnumbered. Under the threat of incoming pirates, she reluctantly moved a step back, then another, before finally starting to run. "Promise me you won't get killed!"

One of the servants waiting on board spotted Pickleberry running from afar; quickly, she rolled down a ladder for her to climb on. Once on top, Picklberry exhaustively collapsed on the deck, breathing heavily. Her servant freaked out at the unprecedented sight, then immediately helped her get back on her feet. "Please rest inside the cabin, we'll set sail right away!"

"Brandy and Fern are still-"

"To get you to safety if our priority, Mr. Billberry can't afford to lose his only daughter!" The servant apologetically pleaded, while taking Pickleberry inside the cabin. From the look on her face, the servant is equally disheartened to leave the two behind as well. She hastily settled down Pickleberry and went outside to help the others.

Now alone under the roof, Pickleberry's face frowned with anguish.

Raucous noises of the crew preparing to set sail slipped in from the cabin's exterior. Pickleberry's depressing heartbeats stuffed her eardrums. Her face and hands are burning up. Inside, her emotions are a mess, too. Feelings of heartbreak and embarrassment from Law's indifference, fear of losing her loyal bodyguards and guilt of not being more appreciative towards Brandy and Fern until now are all attacking her simultaneously. And lastly, the stupidity of setting off on a voyage out of emotional impulse is the catalyst of all this foreign pain she is experiencing right now. She's just down right angry with herself.

She poked through the window to check on Brandy and Fern, but her vision is blocked by smoke from the explosions earlier. Pickleberry's fatigue gave in; she dragged her tired limbs towards an elegant armchair sitting by the corner and let her weight sink in. Her head is spinning, forehead getting hotter and hotter, cheeks getting redder and redder. Her heavy eyelids struggled to keep themselves open; finally, her full lashes touched the bottom lid and fell into a depressing slumber.

Little rain droplets began pounding on the ship. Gradually they increased to heavy water bullets, accompanied by muffled thunders. These sounds of nature soothed the despondent Pickleberry in her sleep. A small, tranquil smile appeared on her lips.

Still in murky dreamland, Pickleberry felt being watched. She uncomfortably stirred a bit while eyes are still closed. She drowsily woke up. Her eyelids slowly opened, only to see half of a man emerged in the wall on the other side of the room. Her mind was still blurry but the abnormality of such sight instinctively alarmed and terrified her. Both bands dramatically cupped on her mouth to detain her shock, she wants to run but her body feels like lead. No sounds could come out from her mouth either. This is her private quarter where servants couldn't enter without permission; if she can't call for help, nobody could save her.

The half man in the wall morphed together with the surrounding concrete before coming out completely as a whole person. The entire show felt like a bad dream to Pickleberry, whose eyes stared straight at the scene in front of her without moving an inch. Her mouth is mildly agape; her entire body is burning up really bad. Her brain is on the verge of not being able to think clearly.

Fashioning a long open coat and a top hat, the man's smirk is nothing but kind.

Still maintaining a malevolent grin, the man spoke with a disturbing gentlemanly tone: "Did I awake you, my lady? I profusely apologize... he he he..."

Pickleberry: ...

"Do not try to resist, you are too weak for that already." He man's voice sounded much more stern than earlier.

"What... do you want..?" Pickleberry feebly mumbled.

"My crew already rounded up all those who could fetch a decent price for the auction. You'll complete our collection, Miss Pickleberry..! That's what your crew called you wasn't it? Hmm?"

Her eyes widened up for a millisecond as her name was said. She swallowed in apprehension and recalled the scene where young boys and girls were herded and tied together in town, where the pirates talked about selling them at the Human Shop.

"You bastard..." she cursed despite still being physically weak, "if you know who am I... you do realize what consequence awaits you if you dare to touch one hair on me!?"

The rain outside kept pouring down, slamming against the ship's exterior. The deafening thunderbolts pieced into the two's eardrums. Bright flashes of thunder whitened up the entire room for a transient moment, contrasting Pickleberry's clear features, now enacting an intimidating aura. The stern and aggrieved look in her eyes says it all. She is not amused by this kind of joke. A billionaire Mayor's daughter from the affluent Rouge Kingdom, a prominent law student, and universally ranked as insanely beautiful; someone of Pickleberry's caliber is now being told that she's going to be auctioned and become someone's slave by a random guy coming through a wall?! **じょうだんじゃないわよっ** **!** *

 _*"stop joking!" -Mr. 2 Bon Clay style_

A sweat rolled down the face of the mystery man, who's heart is now filled with doubt. "Maybe I'm messing with someone I shouldn't...?" He secretly thought.

The longer the two stared at each other, the more the man felt something familiar.

"AH!" He tapped a fist into his other palm. "You are the Capone invasion girl!"

Pickleberry facepalmed herself.

 _What is gonna happen to Pickleberry now that she's developing a high fever? And who is the mystery man? Will she ever see Law again? Find out in the next chapter!_


End file.
